New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- Early-stage startups led funding activity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region this week, with at least seven firms securing capital. These include UAE-based fintech Upfront, which raised an eight-digit pre-seed funding round in a mix of equity and debt, and agritech platform Aydi, which raised seed funding.

Others that raised early-stage funding include climate and marketing technology company Climaty AI, UAE-based real-world asset tokenization marketplace Tokinvest, communication safety startup YAL AI, Saudi Arabia's AI-powered customer experience platform DOO, and Saudi digital signature platform Sadq.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia-based alternative investment platform Sukna Capital partnered with global private credit firm Partners for Growth to launch a $50 million specialty lending initiative, targeting high-growth tech companies and SMEs across Saudi Arabia and MENA.

Upfront

Upfront, a UAE-based fintech startup, raised $10 million in a mix of equity and debt as part of a pre-seed funding round to scale its business.

The round was co-led by Palm Ventures and SABAH fund, with participation from strategic angel investors.

Founded in May 2025 by Anas Qudah, Abdullah Alghadouni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah Moursy, Upfront is building a financial operating system that integrates with accounting software to provide real-time analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital.

The company aims to use the funding to fuel product development and hiring across the UAE and soon in Saudi Arabia.

Climaty AI

Climaty AI, an India-founded, UAE-based climate and marketing technology company, raised $2 million in early-stage funding led by venture capital and accelerator fund Turbostart, to expand business.

The round also saw participation from AI experts and angel investors.

Founded in 2024 by Neel Pandya, Climaty AI is building an Agentic AI-powered marketing ecosystem that automates campaign planning, content creation, optimization, and measurement, while reducing the carbon footprint of digital advertising.

The startup aims to use the fresh capital to expand across APAC, EMEA, the UK, and North America, where demand for sustainable and high-performance marketing is rising.

Tokinvest

Tokinvest, a UAE-based regulated marketplace for real-world asset tokenization, secured $3.2 million in pre-seed funding to facilitate platform growth.

The round was backed by VCs, family offices, and high-net-worth investors, including Triliv Holdings and Exponential Science.

Founded in 2024 by Scott Thiel and Matthew Blom, Tokinvest creates virtual tokens representing rights to assets to be offered through its marketplace that connects real-world asset issuers with investors globally.

The startup has received the first full multi-asset issuance licence from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).

It plans to use the funding towards regulatory expansion and onboarding of new asset classes.

The startup had raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding in July last year.

YAL AI

UAE-based communication safety startup YAL AI raised $12 million from undisclosed investors.

Founded in 2024, YAL AI is an artificial intelligence-driven communication mobile app designed to provide secure digital interactions, helping prevent scams.

YAL AI plans to use the fresh funding to expand new AI-powered features.

DOO

Saudi Arabia-headquartered DOO, an AI-powered customer experience platform, raised $1.7 million in a funding round led by Merak Capital to enhance growth and operations.

The round also saw participation from Plus VC and other strategic regional investors.

Founded in 2024 by Ali Mohsen and Mohamed AlKhabbaz, DOO combines advanced natural language processing with regional linguistic expertise to deliver seamless AI-driven customer support tailored to Arabic dialects and culture across WhatsApp, Instagram, websites, and apps.

The platform works with more than 50 enterprises across telecom, airlines, banking, and e-commerce sectors.

It plans to deploy the fresh capital to accelerate product development, strengthen integrations with CRMs and e-commerce platforms, and deepen DOO's footprint across Saudi Arabia and the GCC.

Aydi

Aydi, a UAE-based agritech platform, secured $7.5 million in seed funding from COTU Ventures, Daltex, and Nuwa Capital to scale the platform.

Magrabi Agriculture and Foundation Ventures also participated in the round.

Founded in 2022 by Hassan Fayed, Aydi is a farm management software combining satellite monitoring, predictive analytics, and conversational AI to deliver plot-level precision for farmers.

It will use the funding to support the launch and global scale-up of Orth, Aydi's AI-powered agronomy assistant. It enables growers to get instant recommendations, detect crop issues early, and improve yields by more than 20%.

Sadq

Saudi Arabia-based digital signature platform Sadq secured $1.5 million in a pre-Series A extension round led by Impact46 to expand the business.

Founded in 2022 by Abdullah Allahuo and Salem Al-Badawi, Sadq provides a digital signature and document authentication platform to meet national legal and compliance standards.

It plans to utilize the fresh capital to expand its reach within Saudi institutions.

The firm had raised a $1.5 million pre-Series A round in April last year.

Careem-Swapp

Careem, a Dubai-based super app, has acquired a minority stake in Swapp, a UAE-based car rental and subscription platform.

Integrated into the Careem Everything App since 2022, Swapp allows users to register online and get a car delivered within 24 hours, eliminating traditional rental paperwork. It sources vehicles from leasing companies, original equipment manufacturers, and own fleet.

The strategic investment will fund instant KYC onboarding, one-hour car delivery, real-time tracking, on-demand car swaps, and lease-to-own options, alongside regional expansion.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.